Yes it is French fogs, not frogs!

The brass monkeys made an appearance again this morning as we departed. Bare legs made me regret not getting the merino leg warmers out. We did not get out of the car park on first attempt as Tony rode around doing laps testing his bike post yesterday’s crash. Something did not feel right and quickly his concerns were proven correct and there was a loud “clunk” as his rear derailleur dropped. Dang it, his derailleur hanger had fractured.

Fortunately we travel with 2 spare hangers otherwise he would more than likely have been off the road for days as the hangers are specific to brands and it would be highly unlikely that we could have sourced one until Friday in Basel (Switzerland being the home of BMC).  So Steve kindly fitted it for Tony and we were soon on the road.

Leaving Provins we skirted past the medieval cite and descended quickly into the middle of town.

At Novent-Sur-Seine (22.7 km) we caught what is perhaps our last glimpse of La Seine.

At Marigny (44.6 km) we thought about stopping for a coffee but decided to push on  into Troyes as we knew that was a large town.

The morning was incredibly foggy and very still.  As we traversed through open farm land there was little we could see due to the fog. Passing wind turbines we could not see the  blades.

We arrived at Troyes at 11.45 am (75.5 km) and pulled in at the first boulangerie. By the time we ordered the queue was out onto the footpath. What I find amazing about France is that you can take your food from the boulangerie and head to the brasserie to eat it ( on the basis that you buy a drink). So I ordered two coffees and we sat outside. It was the best salmon baguette ever!

Troyes is a nice looking old city as can be even from these photos. It is the capital of the Aube and featured many half timbered homes.

 

We we then rode along a bike path for quite some time adjacent to a canal.  We skirted the Foret d’Orient natural park.

Once the fog lifted the wind arrived and for the rest of the day we had a fairly strong headwind. We did two lengthy sections on busy roads with semi trailers rushing past causing significant air displacement pushing us around somewhat. We later learned this freaked out a couple of the other riders.

We were really pleased to pull off the highway at the 120 km mark and descend a few km to Dolancourt, a quiet and sleepy village with the exception of a totally out of place theme park featuring a Ferris wheel and tower of terror.

We are staying at a great hotel and had an amazing meal but have only just finished at 10.30 pm so feeling quite tired now. The picture be.ow shows the view from the restaurant where we are our evening meal.

 

 

Well what an adventure today was. Over 6 hours on the saddle to get from one side of Paris to the other and on into Provins.

Before I get into the details on today’s ride I thought I would do a post script on Bam Bam who I reported went missing yesterday out of our group. Our theory was that he would get picked up by the next group coming through. Wrong. He rode in without route instructions and ended up on a motorway heading to Paris. The gendarmes pulled him off into their van and took him to a nearby town. He arrived into Poissy quite late having ridden around 150 km (40 plus more than us).

Also on a sadder note, we are down to 21 riders as one of the ladies came off her bike yesterday and broke her wrist. She is still with us travelling in the van and husband is continuing with the ride.

So back to today. We chose to leave with Steve from Bike Adventures who offered to lead a group into Paris and then out. Given Steve did the reccy for the trip that seemed a pretty good option as it was to be a difficult day navigationally. The only requirement was that we were to travel at the slowest riders pace.

So we left Poissy heading out along the cobblestones of the main shopping strip. The only shops open were the butchers.

At the 5 km Mark we entered St Germaine-en-late which is a large park with a huge chateau ( or as Steve calls it, shadocks).

We then scooted around the side streets of the neighbourhood.

We continued to wind our way through suburbs, up and down, and overall it was quite sleepy.

That all changed once we got to Bois de Boulogne ( 22.0 km). We were calmly riding along a nice section of road when a peloton of cyclists came around the bend in the opposite direction shouting and wildly gesticulating at us. I don’t think they were saying ” Welcome to Paris”.

It appears we were caught in a cycling race so quickly altered our course.

A few km before the Eiffel Tower our instructions were to turn left and cross the bridge. However there seemed to be some other event on and the road was closed. Walkers were crossing but the officious gendarme would not allow us to push our bikes across.

So Steve weaved us around and we crossed another bridge. It then became apparent that we had another issue.  The Paris marathon had just started with an incredible number of runners. We needed to cross over to the other side to get to the tower and decided it was too much hassle. So we all took photos.

 

As we rode/ pushed our bikes along the side of the course it became apparent that the marathon start was in waves every few minutes. The course was lined with an incredible number of gendarmes, many with some serious looking weapons.

There was a spot that people were able to cross briefly so four of us made it over, with the getting caught up in the next wave start.

 

Eventually we wound up at the tower and took the usual assortment of tourist photos.

We rode past the Louvre and stopped at a riverside cafe for coffee and a pit stop.

I wandered over the road and took a few photos. The bells of St Chapelle were tolling.

The forecast was for rain at midday. At 11.50 am it started to spit so the jackets went on. Within 5 minutes it was pouring and this continued unabated for an hour or so. It was not that pleasant and one of the guys in our group came off his bike in the slippery conditions.

We pushed on heading out of Paris, still at painfully slow speeds. We headed to Choisy passing close by the Charles De Gaulle airport. At 52.3 km we arrived at Villeneuve. Certainly this is a very basic, run down area with cheaper accomodation. Notwithstanding we had lunch here. We were all wet and dirty and chose to buy food from a local supermarket. First time I have ever eaten a meal in a supermarket.

We then proceeded to a steep little climb with cold legs. Nasty.

Steve then left us as navigationally the rest of the day was straight forward. We were able to pick the pace up  and hit the open road passing through predominantly agricultural lands.

Just as we took the last roundabout into our accomodation in Provins, the instructions said turn right. Tony took that a bit to heart unfortunately crashing off his bike which went left and he skidded across the bitumen the to the opposite curb. He has skin missing and will be a bit sore tomorrow. His bike has a few scratches. We learned later that another ride fell in the same spot a few hours later.

So after 6 hours in the saddle, 124 km,  lots of rain this is what I looked like.

Most bike riders love to stop at cafes and drink coffee. Today we set off around 830 am with David and John (Bam Bam) two Aussies from Sydney. It was fairly brisk when we turned left onto the main road. I turned too hard left forgetting the French ride on the ‘wrong’ side. Tony shouted at me and it was a “oh crap” moment! Fortunately no cars were around.

We headed into the centre of Gournay en Bray and headed towards Bezu La Foret (14.0km), Mesnil S/S Vienne (17.7 km), Mainneville (19.6 km), Hebecourt (24.3 km), St Denis-Le-Ferment (26.7 km). We started thinking about our first coffee at Bezu-St Eloi but nothing was open.

We continued on to ride through another 10 villages that had no shops at all. Feeling quite like we were in some detox program by now. After a stiff climb we ended up with out first view of Le Seine River.

Descending steeply we arrived in the very pretty village of La Roche Guyon (62.3 km) and hallelujah there was a cafe open! The village has an interesting looking chateau.

We spent close to an hour in this village watching life pass by. It was quite warm. I noted down the road that there was a fish vendor cart.

A closer inspection showed eel for sale.

After a a very pleasant break the 4 of us headed off through the edge of an impressive gorge on our left. We passed through Haut Isle and Chantemesle and Vetheuil. We then took a left hand turn to descend into a village. I noted that Bam Bam was missing so stopped to wait before taking the right hand turn.

The reason I waited is that Bam Bam did not have his Garmin ( may have been stolen a few days ago) and also did not have the route descriptors. Therefore he had no idea where to turn.

I waited and waited. David and Tony had gone on. After about 10 min I left and proceeded on the course hoping he would retrace and be able to follow some of the other rider, as there were still 18 behind us somewhere.

We stopped at Drocourt (74.2 km) for a bite of lunch at a boulangerie. The baker was busy working on baguettes.

After lunch we crossed over and rode through many kilometres of open fields. The course undulated passing through many more villages. After Meulan (87.1 km), there was a 3 km climb up through a forest which was really pleasant. Of course what goes up must go down and at L’Hautil Treil S/Seine there was a wonderful 2 km descent. It was great to feel the wind blowing in my face ( we had a headwind most of the day).  Finally we got to cross the well known river.

5 km before our destination I came off my bike at an intersection when Tony pulled up super quick and I could not decleat quick enough. Big lump on my left knee and a couple of smaller ones on my reconstructed knee.

After showering at the hotel and doing our washing we headed into town. I bought some arnica to help the bruising and we bought a drink.

Some of the sites around Poissy

Finally how clever are these two pieces of botanical artwork?

 

Up very early today as we were required to be packed, had breakfast and be ready to roll at 6.30 am. We were heading from Lewes to Newhaven to catch the ferry over to Dieppe ( France).

Moods were soured early as three of the riders had lights and tool kits stolen from their bikes overnight. The bikes had been in the hotel conference room so quite odd.

As we set off I immediately regretted having bare legs and not having my merino leggings on. It was brass monkey weather.

Once at the ferry terminal we needed to present ourselves to English border officials and have our passports checked for departure. We then went through a security check which was quite funny. “Are you carrying a barbecue gas bottle?”  I wanted to give a flippant answer but thought better of it!  Not sure where that would go on my bike.

We then had to stand around for ages in the cold. Phil tried to keep me warm.

Fortunately all the bike riders were first onto the ferry. There were plenty of other riders not from our group as well. Our bikes are up on the row against the far well, left hand corner, so we were going no where fast once the doors opened at Dieppe.

Views from the ferry as we departed Newhaven.

It takes four hours for the ferry to travel this section of the Channel. We spent that time chilling out with John and Phil. We would be saying goodbye to the  as they are leading the London to Paris ride and not riding as far when they get off the boat. We ride an additional 38 km past where they are staying. We hopefully will see John in Venice as he heads off to lead the ride to Dubrovnic.

Farewell England.

Bonjour France.

We then needed to get through French border patrol. Most of the riders cruised through but those with Australian passports took a lot longer as there were extra checks carried out. We all passed with flying colours and were soon on the road.

Leaving Dieppe we followed the waterfront.

Then there was a left hand turn that was a shocker. It was very steep, particularly when your legs have not yet warmed up. I was not sure I was going to make it but given I was cleated in and the pedals were under full load I did not think I would be able to uncleat without falling off so I just kept plugging away.

As we headed out of town we climbed a couple of hills passing through Thibermont, Martin-Eglise and Saint Aubin-Le-Cauf. Then there was John standing on the side of the road to ensure that the riders did not miss the turn onto Avenue Verte.

The Avenue Verte is a bike path constructed on a disused railway line. We followed it for 24 miles and it features beautiful bitumen, regular crossings through little villages,  picnic areas and the occasional cafe. It is fairly flat.

We left the path shortly before Forges Les Eaux and it felt great to be cruising on the road at faster speed. We knocked the last 19 km off much quicker. It had been a long day and we were keen to get to our hotel at Gournay En Bray.

There are around 50-60 cyclists here from various tour groups and the hotel has dedicated bike storage rooms with bike racks.

All the cyclists were catered for with a buffet tea which was pretty ok. Tony was pretty peeved though paying 3 euro for a tiny bottle of coke. Maybe he should stick to water.

Well it has started, albeit painfully slowly. Leaving central London required us to ride 6 km to the course start along incredibly busy roads clogged with the double decker red buses, cars and pedestrians running around like turbo chooks.

Upon arriving at the Jubilee Gardens adjacent to the London Eye, We got to hug old friends (Phil, Bevis, Graham and Steve) and meet some of our riding companions for the next fortnight. It would appear that there are at least 8 Australians our group, half of whom are named Tony!!

We left London as a group to ensure that we did not lose anyone along the incredibly convoluted route, it was incredibly slow and included having to walk our bikes for sections and carry them down stairs.  Even on paths we were lucky to get much above 10 km/hr as we had to avoid so many obstacles of the human variety.

 

 

We crossed  over the Thames with a good view of the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.

We followed the river under Lambeth and Vauxhall bridges turning towards Clapham Common. We rode through dense residential areas that looked like the set used for George and Mildred, and rode through countless parks.

It took 28 km to clear London. The average speed was 10km/hr by then but we were in one piece.

A number of the group had dropped back and others stopped at a cafe in Oaks Park but we puddled on as we had arranged to meet Brian, a friend who had done the France ride with us last year. We found him on the side of the road just after Woodmansterne.

That was a master stroke as this area of Surrey is Brian’s bike riding backyard and he was able to navigate us.

We stopped for lunch at the Dog and Duck pub a few km short of Smallfield. A number of the riders also stopped although others continued their journey.

 

After lunch we were joined by David and Bevis and the five of us rode together for the rest of the day.

We were very close to Gatwick airport which seems to be very busy.

The afternoon ride was very undulating but through the beautiful countryside of the North and South Downs. There were many tunnelled forests, some brilliant bitumen the in places, farms as we passed through villages including Copthorne, Turners Hill, West Hoathley, Sharpthorne, Horsted Keynes and Barcombe.

 

Arriving at Lewes by 3.45 pm we stored our bikes and hit the showers before enjoying an afternoon tea with Bevis and Brian.

After biding farewell to Brian who was heading home via train, we then caught up with Graeme ( friend from the France ride) and his daughter Matilda.

PS We are staying in a pub built in the late 1700’s. Interesting history including dungeons that were once used to store martyrs before they were burned at the stake over the road. They are now used as a wine cellar.

PPS The floors are reflective of the age of the building and have a severe adverse camber. When I get out of bed it slopes steeply to the wall.

I love the song London Calling, by The Clash so it was the natural title for today’s ride as we left Benson in the Thames Valley for the big smoke!

It was a late start as I was feeling very cosy sitting in John and Val’s conservatory eating…guess what I ate???  Yes, eggs and bacon!!! ( Thanks Val).  John popped out and purchased fresh croissants too, and made a great coffee to boot so feeling spoiled! I could have quite happily stayed longer but there was a long ride ahead, and our Bike Adventures mate Phil was to sleep in our bed tonight!

I was sad to say goodbye as I do not do them very well!

Now one of my OLDEST friends seems to be under the misapprehension that I don’t take time to smell the roses. I proved him wrong in Paris and here again! Not mentioning any names but Mark Hughes of Surry Hills in Melbourne this one is just for you!!!!!

John had plotted us out the most direct route to Windsor. It was a great route taking us past the RAF base at Benson and onwards to Ewelme where he owned the pub once upon a time. We climbed out of the Chilterns Hills and down towards Stoke Row where in the 1800’s a maharajah donated a well. Looks quite out of place really but it is extraordinarily deep at 300 feet ( and 4 foot wide).

Our bikes are now officially all terrain and required a portage today, complete with stinging nettle. This appeared to be a short cut between two roads but after recent heavy rains was a tad boggy. The mud in the middle was actually very squishy and boggy hence the portage on the right hand side up the bank.

We then rode through more forests and Rotherfield Peppard, Sonning Common, Shiplake, Twyford, Waltham St Lawrence.

In the mix of these villages and towns we stopped to debate navigation. Was that left, right or straight ahead. A cyclist coming the other way stopped and asked if we were lost and where we were heading. I stated “Venice”. In the most plum of English accents, and without missing a beat he said ” ok, take the second left, the turn right”. We all cracked up laughing.

We the. Scouted around the back of Windsor heading towards Old Windsor. Quite a busy road.

I have been to Windsor Castle twice before but had not seen this particular view of the Long Walk.

I had been to the Windsor Farm shop in 2007 and knew I could get a fine cup of coffee there. Nothing has changed.

MInd you it was hard to get piece and quiet in her farm gardens. Aussies flying overhead making a racket as only an Aussie can do.

The Queen has a fine array of food available in her shop. As a meat lover I think I would need a few of these poor looking little anorexic birds.

From Windsor we headed to Runnymede so I could educate Tony about the Magna Carta. Blood was shed to achieve this aim.

I also did not realise that this would involve taking the bikes downhill on a Paris-Roubaix cobblestone staircase for some length.

Next were the paddocks.

Finally the site of where the Barons compelled King John to sign the Magna Carta. Some of those barons feature in my ancestors, as does King John who was not a very nice person.

From paddocks we turned to tow paths then tracks through the forest.

Following the Thames for so long was very nice. So many beautiful homes,  locks, and people just lazily sitting around the banks fishing, walking dogs, bike riding, jogging and so on.

I was aware that you could catch a ferry across the Thames so rode into Shepparton just for that sole purpose. 2 pounds each.

We continued following the river until we eventually arrived in Hampton and entered the grounds of Hampton Court Palace, a former home of King Henry VIII. He had acquired ( forcibly) the palace from Cardinal Wolseley who had caused the King displeasure.

I like the gargoyles that were very popular in the late 1500’s in England.

The gates in the backyard now have a fence protecting them. Pretty speccy but probably would not suit my little abode but I can appreciate the craftsmanship.

The afternoon was getting on and we debated whether to pull up stumps and head to the railway station…. But no, decided to keep going as I was keen to see Richmond Park. The intersection prior to the park saw our first interaction with an anti cyclist female driving a 4wd. She was playing silly buggers as we rode along swerving and slamming her brakes on for no reason and giving us the birdie. She had youngsters in the car.  Great role model – not!

Richmond Park blew my mind. Its sheer size ( 1000 acres) and the biodiversity including a herd of deer resting in the grass. You need to look carefully to see the deer in the long grass along with the alpha male.

After leaving Richmond Park we needed to tackle London peak hour traffic. That was an experience and a half. Tony and I got separated only because he ran a red light and I didn’t! He ended up a few km ahead before he realised I was missing unaware he had run the red light.

At one very busy intersection we were uncertain where to turn and it was incredibly busy. There were numerous cyclists at the intersection waiting for the green light. I called out to one who kindly hopped over to talk to us. He was an Aussie working in London! Very helpful lad too.

After 106 km and an adventure filled day we were very pleased to arrive at our accomodation. We had an early tea and will be leaving here around 730 am to again tackle London traffic to get to the start of why we are here. London to Venice.

Around 275 km have been completed in the three day prologue warm up. Legs and bum are ready!

 

Adverse cambers sums up today quite nicely. As we were descending today I saw that sign and wondered what it could mean. Quite obviously adverse is not good, and camber is the road slope…then it hit me like a bolt of lightening as I negotiated a very sharp left hand turn with the camber going the wrong way!!! In my panic, I slammed the brakes hard including my front brake, shoot out into the centre of the road, just pulling the bike back into correct alignment just in the nick of time.

So applying the adverse camber rule, always expect the unexpected!

We had multiple navigational and Garmin issues but did follow the Grand Union Canal for a very pleasant few kilometres along a very narrow gravel track. Great to witness life on the canal and the activity around the locks.

We travelled through Chorleywood and Chenies. We had been to Chenies on our 2015 trip, doing a walk along the River Chess with Fiona, Ian and Rupert.

Climbing up and down hills throughout the Chilterns was slow going today for a few reasons. Firstly we needed to get used to the two extra luggage bags on our bikes with around 8-10 kg of weight. Then we were in unchartered territory on roads with pot holes, dirt roads, bike tracks, tow paths, poor vision along lanes where the tree canopies created a tunnel effect and so on.

Finally it rained heaps and the road was quite slippery and were were very cautious.

We stopped at the thirteenth century market town of Tring thinking we would have an extended lunch break. Standing outside the local church that we were about to check out Tony suffered a mechanical issue whereby his chain was jammed in his front derailleur. He made a few adjustments and released the chain but his derailleur was not right. He was becoming increasingly frustrated. We located the local bike shop and Neil fixed the bike and would not take any payment.  He asked if I knew Ritchie Porte and my answer surprised him I think.  “Yes since he was a teenager involved in swimming”.

So we headed back to the church and I entered and met a lovely old chap who was delighted to have company and a chat. He insisted that we bring our bikes into the church. I resisted but he said “the vicar does”. Interesting old church has a section going back to the 1100’s.

We then climbed up and down more through Widdinton, Aldbury, Hastoe, Wendover, Great Hampden then Speen. We were not keen on stopping as it was raining heavily now.

Speen is a pretty area, home to the adverse camber!

We skirted West Wycombe before arriving in Lane End. Unfortunately the prior arrangements made for our Bed and Breakfast failed as there was no one there. For around 90 min we stood outside in the rain getting colder and colder. I was shaking uncontrollably, and knocking on neighbours doors trying to locate the whereabouts of the mystery person who was meant to be there to let us in.

In the meantime a local lady was walking her dog and had noticed us. She enquired as to our well being and invited us into her home. Initially I resisted as I wanted to make sure I did not miss the arrival of the mysterious neighbour. She brought us a welcoming and very warm cup of tea.

Reinforcements arrived in the form of her husband who was armed with thick coats which we gratefully wore. He told us he was a cyclist. The deal was sealed and we went into their home and he stored our bikes in his van.

Sarah then made phone calls and ran around sourcing keys and we were able to get into our accomodation.

Many thanks Sarah, Al and Freddie for your extraordinary kindness. Strava details have been swapped!

The Tour de France has a prologue – so if it is good enough for them to have one, what the heck, I am too!

Let’s face it – travelling from Devonport to London is not particularly enjoyable – unless perhaps you have a bank account with six zero’s and can afford one of those nice looking first class seats that totally recline – ooooh, total jealousy!

Unfortunately I am a cattle class traveller – although lash out extra dollars to upgrade to an exit row seat, upstairs on the Qantas A380 where the economy seating is 2/3/2 versus downstairs of 3/4/3.  So no random strangers and plenty of leg room to stretch out.

Notwithstanding that it is a seriously loooong flight – one hour to Melbourne, 14 hours to Dubai and around 8 to London – with all that hanging around time in between.  You arrive looking like something from the apocalypse, feeling like the walking dead.  The travel experts say to live the day of where you are arriving – so you have to stay awake for a good part of the day!  Oh my, that is not easy!

So this year we will be allowing one full day of jet lag recovery as that is all we have available prior to getting the legs turning over again.  We arrive on the Saturday afternoon and will be collected by Ian who did LeJog with us in 2013.  We will spend Sunday with Ian and his wife Fiona, but sadly not their canine Rupert who has passed away since our last visit.

On the Monday morning we will head off for a 2 day, self supported ride – first night at an Air BNB at Lane End, and the second night at John’s home in Benson – John was a tour leader on both of our previous trips, and will be doing part of our London to Venice trip.

The Free Dictionary defines a prologue as “an introduction or preface” or ” an introductory act event”.  That is precisely what my prologue will be – it is an introduction to riding again, post the traumas of long haul flying, reawakening the senses and stretching those muscles out, getting the lungs to expand, and huff and puff.

With both of the previous long distance adventure trips, prologues of around 200 km over a couple of days were completed, and we felt it to be a very worthwhile thing to do – you also get the added advantage of seeing more of the surrounding countryside.